


something about stars

by amiavegetable



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Best Friends, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, Teenage Drama, a tiny mention of underage drinking but nothing serious, extensive use of parentheses, guanho is superior, guanlin is seonho's star, onghwang if u squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-05 04:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12786525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amiavegetable/pseuds/amiavegetable
Summary: At the beginning of Guanlin’s second year of high school, Hwang Minhyun moves back to his old family house, and it subsequently ruins Guanlin’s life.[in which Seonho likes fanboying over Minhyun and Guanlin is jealous]





	something about stars

**Author's Note:**

> dear prompter, im sorry this is so messy, im bad with deadlines and it shows rip. thank you for your cute prompt ([#38](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15GoKP9G-FY2PscUiq62LYGL0e2B6fwiP5-2sALTla7Y/edit?usp=sharing)) though, i had a lot of fun writing it!! i hope this comes anything close to what you imagined hfjdhf  
> leave me a comment so i know who u are! much love ♡

When Guanlin enters high school he is a lanky fifteen-year-old, all his insecurities about changing schools and moving to a new country etched onto the skin of his skinny forearms and spelled out in a constant frown on his face.

On the first day of 10th grade he steps foot into the school building that’s so much bigger than what he’s used to from his middle school back in Taipei (and even though he wouldn’t admit it to anyone he likes it immediately - they have two gyms and the walls are painted white and not a smudgy yellow like in his old school, and he spots _three_ basketball hoops in the yard at first glance), reluctantly moving amidst the mass of students rushing towards what he finds out not much later is the auditorium.

The auditorium is completely lined in honey-warm wood, with a real stage with lights and what looks like a pretty impressive sound system and Guanlin forgets he’d decided to dislike Korea with all his might for a second, something akin to excitement tightening in his guts. His attention is pulled away from the high light-speckled arcs of the auditorium’s ceiling by someone climbing the steps and walking towards the single microphone stand in the middle of the stage.

“Hello“, says the most beautiful woman Guanlin has ever seen, her voice warm and her smile radiant, “welcome back, students, I hope you had a nice break. Freshmen, I’m director Kwon Boa. Welcome to MNH.“ Her eyes skim the crowd of students in front of her and Guanlin could swear her smile is directed at him.

“Woah“, someone next to him says, and Guanlin can’t help but agree. He nods wordlessly, turning his head at a nudge in his side. The owner of the voice is tall and probably even skinnier than him, eyes huge and owlish behind round glasses slipping off the bridge of his nose. He gives Guanlin a carefree smile and extends a hand.

“Hi, I'm Yoo Seonho“, he says.

“Lai Guanlin“, Guanlin replies automatically, shaking his hand. He has little to no intention to actually talk to Seonho, partly because he doesn’t want him to hear his choppy Korean and partly because he isn’t going to like this school, so he doesn’t need to be friendly, thanks very much. So he doesn’t reply when Seonho points to the stage and enthusiastically proclaims that he is going to stand there soon, because he’s going to join the theater club, and hey, is there a club Guanlin is thinking of joining? There is, but Guanlin has heard their school’s basketball team is really good and popular, so half the joining members are benched anyway, so he keeps silent. Undeterred by his grouchy attitude, Seonho seems to have decided that they’re going to be friends and proceeds to talk Guanlin’s ear off all through assembly, all sharp elbows and excited whispers. It turns out that they’re in the same homeroom class too, and because that’s just Guanlin’s luck, most of their other classes seem to line up as well.

“That’s such a cool coincidence!“, Seonho exclaims when they’re walking down the crowded hallway after their first class. Guanlin, having given up on his resolve to get rid of Seonho, keeps all his attention focused on his shoes. This school isn’t as strict about their footwear as his old school and seeing his feet clad in worn out Converse against the gray linoleum of the floor gives him a weird sense of novelty, as if this faint, bubbly feeling blooming in his chest is not just because he’s in a new country and a new school but because this might be a new start. Because this is _high school_ , and anything could happen, really.

Seonho’s shoes are white tennis shoes with too-long laces, the ends darkened from being pressed into the ground by the soles of his own feet, over and over. Guanlin tears his gaze away from the floor, slowly raises his head and looks, at the other students around him and this school that’s set in friendly colors and has an auditorium and a basketball court and that really isn’t like his old middle school at all, and at Seonho’s face, his weird glasses and the smile that’s somehow still there. Looks and takes a deep breath.

“Hey, Seonho“, he says, effectively interrupting Seonho’s slightly rambling story about his cousin who once broke his foot by tripping over a cat. “Do you wanna get lunch together?“

Seonho looks at him with wide eyes, or maybe that’s just his usual expression, and Guanlin cringes inwardly at how strong his accent came out. He half expects Seonho to prove his previous impression of him wrong and reject his offer, but a few nerve-racking seconds later he gives him an enthusiastic nod. Hooking an arm under Guanlin's elbow, he smiles and says: “weren’t we going to, anyway?“ and Guanlin exhales all the trapped air in his lungs at once.

(Seonho takes three servings at lunch and gets sauce on his face and somehow some of it finds its way onto Guanlin’s face too, which is gleefully pointed out to him by his seat neighbor in his next class without Seonho. When he gets home, his mother asks him how his first day went, voice cautious and heavy with the traces of the dismissive behavior Guanlin’s been meeting her with since they moved to Korea, and Guanlin avoids her eyes when he says, actually, it went okay.)

 

A year later, Guanlin has lost the frown (because the whole teen angst thing is getting old anyway, Seongwoo had said right before winter break without offering any further elaboration and clapped him on the back - he has a tendency to be irritating like that) and somewhat bulked up, even though half the school still calls him and Seonho The Chicks, which must be some Korean insider Guanlin still does not get, but then again, Justin kept snickering about it to Euiwoong when Seonho first referred to himself as _byeongari_ too, so maybe it’s just him. He finds that he doesn’t mind though, because it means they think of him and Seonho in one thought, talk about them in one breath, Guanlin and Seonho, Seonho and Guanlin.

He thinks there are worse ways to be known.

-

The start of his second year is marked by three things:

 **1.** Boa’s usual speech greeting everyone in the auditorium is a lot less intimidating and a lot more fun when you’ve been there, done that, and now get to watch the new freshmen stare at her gentle face with unconcealed worship. Guanlin watches them fall under her spell following a single smile and silently grins to himself, feeling strangely accomplished in the face of an onslaught of people younger and less experienced than him. Next to him, Seonho laughs a little.

“You were so in love with her last year“, he says fondly, as if that time is centuries away. Guanlin rolls his eyes and shoots a quick glance at his best friend’s profile.

Last year, Guanlin sat in the audience cheering on a slightly ruffled but still determined Seonho starring as Nameless Revolutionist I in the school’s production of Les Miserables back in October. Sure, he’d come to see the play (and also because Jihoon had paid his lunch for a week in the miscalculation on his part that Guanlin wouldn’t go with him if he didn’t), but he’d made sure to clap extra hard after the scene in which Seonho got stage-gunned down after his first and only appearance in the play. Because last year, the basketball team’s coach had put Guanlin into a game during the final set after their SF hurt his ankle in the last minute of the game, and Seonho had cheered for him from the stalls during all 21 seconds of his time on the court and treated him to victory ice cream after the team had won, even if it hadn’t been because of Guanlin’s great contribution.

Because that’s what best friends do, and Guanlin feels a satisfied little smile bloom on his lips at the thought of having someone in his life that he can call his best friend, someone who he will always choose over anyone else, knowing he got his back at all times.

Boa finishes her speech and he jabs an elbow in Seonho’s ribs (he’s had a growth spurt over the winter, so he can finally do that) for his remark about his crush, grinning when Seonho yelps and pouts at him.

“So were you“, he says airily, the two of them easily falling into step with each other as they make their way out of the auditorium.

 

 **2.** For all the time Guanlin has known Lee Daehwi, he’s always been a rather dramatic person.

There was this time last year where he was convinced that one of the young substitute teachers hated him with a burning passion, visibly jumping and hiding behind anyone around (most of the time it ended up being Guanlin, because they had the class Ms. Park had to drop because of her baby together, usually forced to indulge Daehwi’s antics with a long-suffering sigh) any time Mr. Kang-call-me-Dongho as much as looked in his direction. As far as Guanlin was concerned, Dongho was one of the nicest teachers he’d ever had, which even Daehwi had come to admit at the end of the year.

Hence why Guanlin doesn’t bat an eyelash at the way Daehwi’s shows up to lunch one day in the first week, a pinched expression on his face.

Most of the chatter in the school cafeteria dies out at the loud bang of Daehwi’s lunch tray clattering on their usual table, sending everyone’s fries rattling and knocking over Samuel’s drink. Guanlin watches as Samuel jumps up and frantically attempts to stop the sea of chocolate milk spilling from its packet from spreading and dripping on the floor with a few bunched up napkins and tries not to laugh. Next to him, Seonho sighs and mournfully eyes the sad display of soaked fries on the table. Like one connected motion, the other students’ faces turn back to their respective tables, the hum of hundreds of voices mixing together swelling to normal volume again.

Completely unfazed by the ruckus he caused, Daehwi plops down onto the seat next to Samuel, propping up his chin on his folded hands. “This year is already the worst“, he says to no one in particular, his eyes closed.

“Don’t listen to him“, Somi says, setting her tray down on the table next to him and unceremoniously swinging up one leg to climb into her seat. “Mr. Lee made one reference to college entrance exams and Daehwi hasn’t stopped angsting since.“

Guanlin winces. He sort of understands where Daehwi is coming from, even though he most likely won't have to take the exam. Thinking of the future scares him in ways he’d rather not deal with anytime soon; _you can return to Taiwan once you graduate_ , was the premise he’d insisted on before moving to Korea, and he’d been so sure of everything back then. But a year ago, he never would have thought that he would actually enjoy high school, and being reminded of the ticking clock counting down the time he has left together with his friends like this twists an uncomfortable knot in his stomach. He thinks back to his very first day, and is suddenly overcome by a pressing urge to thank Seonho for not letting him stay grumpy and anti-social for even a single day. He doesn’t though, because that would be embarrassing, and he’s not sure he could say it in a way that wouldn’t be weird. He quickly stuffs his mouth with a handful of fries, just to be safe.

“It’s not just that“, Daehwi whines, pout clearly audible in his voice. He takes his hands away from his face and leans forward, voice dropping as if he has top secret information to share. “Bae Jinyoung was elected student council president.“

Nobody shows a visible reaction, and Daehwi throws his hands in the air at the complete indifference he’s met with. Seonho uses the opportunity and steals some of his food off his tray.

Samuel’s chair screeches. “I’m gonna get a new drink“, he says, voice miserable, and stalks off towards the food line. Somi throws Daehwi a pointed look.

“What“, Daehwi says defensively, completely missing the point, “that was my position. I was so sure I’d get it! And then he just-“

He breaks into a long-winded recollection of what Bae Jinyoung has supposedly done to him while Somi sighs and rips her salad dressing packet with a little more force than necessary. Guanlin thinks he hears her grumble something like _boys_ in an exasperated voice, but he’s not too sure, her long brown locks hiding most of her face. He sort of wants to ask, but it seems like something between the three of them, involving Bae Jinyoung apparently, so he stays silent. He glances at Seonho, who has stopped eating, eyes darting between Somi and Samuel's retreting back. The mood at the table is tilted, the awkwardness bubbling under Guanlin’s skin.

“Oh, also“, Daehwi says cheerfully, sending a sunny smile across the table. “Guanlin, you’re a starter on the team this year.“

Guanlin’s chopsticks clank on his tray, slipping off the table in a trail of sauce and clattering on the floor. He barely registers Seonho next to him diving under the table to retrieve them, head swimming with the sudden rush of blood to his head. “I’m _what?_ “

Somi’s face reappears behind the curtain of hair like the sun behind a display of clouds, a real smile on her lips.

“Wait, really? Wow, that’s so cool!“, she says, while Daehwi nods. “Yeah! They hung a list next to the student council announcement.“ His face darkens for a split second, eyeing the empty seat next to him, but Guanlin is too shocked to decipher that particular expression. Seonho emerges from under the table and hoists himself back up on his seat, Guanlin’s chopsticks in a firm grip and a wide grin on his face.

“Congratulations, hyung“, he says. “I told you you’d make it this year.“

Guanlin abandons his lunch at the table, too excited to focus on eating right now, trying his best not to trip over his own feet as he rushes out of the cafeteria. The school’s bulletin board is propped up at the front entrance close to the cafeteria and Guanlin reaches it in no time, scanning the lists pinned to the cork and yeah, that’s his name on the basketball team’s list, with a big, bold **_S_** for starter written next to it.

Seonho would never abandon his food, but Guanlin hears him shuffling close behind him, pudding can in one hand and spoon in the other as he spreads his arms for Guanlin to throw himself into.

 

 **3.** Guanlin is sitting on the floor of the school’s front yard by the basketball hoop, school and gym bags slung over each shoulder and basketball encircled between his crossed legs. He’s just had his first club meeting of the year, still glowing from the congratulations and praise of his older teammates for making the starter team. He feels like he’s floating, and he can’t wait for Seonho to finish his theater club meeting to tell him all about it.

Just, when he spots Seonho approaching and gets to his feet, his body grinds to a halt mid-wave, because Seonho is stopped just short of the door that leads outside to the yard where Guanlin is. Now, Guanlin gets the round bullseye view of Seonho’s entire face lighting up with a smile, the smile he usually reserves _just for Guanlin_ , and Seonho turning to fall into someone’s arms, a someone with dark hair and a face strikingly handsome even through the smudged glass panels of the door.

And not to be dramatic, but but it feels like a well-placed punch right into Guanlin’s unsuspecting face.

 -

At the beginning of Guanlin’s second year of high school, Hwang Minhyun moves back to his old family house, and it subsequently ruins Guanlin’s life.

-

The apartment Guanlin and his mother moved into when they came to Seoul is nice enough, Guanlin’s room having slowly morphed into something that feels like something that’s representative of him, of who he is as a person (dirty basketball jerseys and wrinkled 4Minute posters included.) And yet, he’s reluctant to call it home, because home, with all its warm, deep-rooted familiarity is still his old house in Taipei. That being said, Seonho’s house has always felt more homely to him than the new Seoul apartment, vision complete with Seonho’s younger siblings bustling about the living room and kitchen and Seonho’s mom’s magic kimbap rolls. Guanlin used to feel guilty about eating her food all the time, but she just laughed once she had noticed, running a soothing hand through his hair.

“Don’t worry about that“, she’d said, “Seonho eats so much that we always need to have food in the house, one mouth more or less doesn’t make a difference.“

And Seonho really does eat a lot, Guanlin muses now, watching him wolf down his third serving of curry at lunch. A good year of being his best friend and the amazement about extents of Seonho’s stomach has never quite ceased. Guanlin has waited for Seonho to finish eating while everyone else already left more times than he can count, but he doesn’t really mind. They’ve been sitting alone today, save for Eunbin, who stands when the bell rings.

“Well, I’m off. Bye, losers.“ She pinches Guanlin’s face and shoots a completely unbothered Seonho an amused glance before hurrying off. Guanlin rubs his cheek and grins a little. He likes Eunbin, although he’s pretty sure she only sometimes randomly drops by to hang out with him and Seonho because Elkie had asked her friend to keep an eye on the helplessly stuttering boy from Taiwan she’d taken under her wing as the president of the foreigner’s association at school before she graduated last year.

Across the table, Seonho scrapes his spoon along the edges of his bowl to gather the last bits of his rice. “Let’s hurry“, he says, still chewing but already grabbing the strap of his backpack and swinging it across his back. Guanlin, used to this choreography since Week 1 of knowing him, grabs everything that doesn’t fit on Seonho’s tray and helps him carry it back to dish return, the two of them power-walking out of the cafeteria to not be late for their next class.

“Come to my house after school today“, Seonho says out in the quickly emptying hallways, a quick smile and wave thrown over his shoulder before he disappears into one of the classrooms.

So Guanlin comes over after school, because he does so on most days, the two of them staying in Seonho’s room playing video games and ignoring their homework until Seonho’s mom ushers them out onto the balcony to hang up the laundry to dry.

Of all the homely smells in the world, Guanlin thinks the smell of fresh laundry at Seonho’s house is the best. Maybe it’s because the first time Seonho brought Guanlin home last year and introduced him to his mother as _my best friend, Guanlin_ , they’d done this too, Seonho’s mom feeding them spoonfuls of fried rice for every bed sheet pinned up right. To this day, it’s still, embarrassingly, Guanlin’s favorite thing to do at Seonho’s house.

It’s here, Guanlin breathless and full of laughter from an impromptu game of hide and seek between the ropes, that it all goes to shit.  
Mid-laugh, Guanlin hears a car engine shut off, Seonho’s mom’s laugh ringing from the street, mixing with another voice, pleasant and smooth. Seonho sticks his head out of the mess of bed sheets he was wrestling with, hair sticking up and glasses askew, and beams at someone behind his back. “Hyung!“

Guanlin turns around and there he is, the stranger he saw Seonho hug in school, car keys still in his hand, smiling warmly at the scene in front of him. “Hey, Seonho. You’re gonna catch a cold if you stay wrapped up in that wet bed sheet for much longer.“

“It was an accident“, Seonho whines and the stranger laughs, stepping on the patio to untangle Seonho from the bed sheet. Guanlin watches numbly as he tugs at the sheet and ruffles Seonho’s hair, Seonho stumbling forward and laughing. That’s my line, he thinks faintly, because he’s the one supposed to look out for Seonho, _Guanlin_ , not some perfect stranger Guanlin has never even heard of.

Perfect stranger introduces himself to Guanlin as Hwang Minhyun, and Guanlin barely registers him politely declining Seonho’s mom’s invitation to stay for dinner, utterly lost between these bouts of practiced familiarity he wasn’t aware existed.

“Who…?“, asks when Minhyun has bid his goodbye, feeling a little like he just stepped into a parallel universe or something.

“Minhyun is our neighbors’ son“, Seonho’s mom explains, “he’s seven years older than Seonho, so come a certain age, he babysat him a lot. They got very close, Seonho was so sad when he left for college.“

“Mom!“, Seonho protests, face red. Guanlin stares. Seonho’s mom laughs and pats his cheek. “Don’t worry, I won’t mention it again. Anyway, he finished his degree and moved back a week ago, so you’ll see him a lot from now on.“

With that, she heads back into the house, leaving Seonho grumbling about embarrassing mothers and Guanlin at a loss, the sheet he’s still holding from earlier crumpled from where he’s gripped at it for too long.

(Later, he contemplates this: Minhyun returned a week ago, Seonho’s mom had said. An entire week and Seonho hadn’t thought to tell Guanlin that _oh, by the way, my childhood best friend slash neighbor just moved back to his old house_ , and when did Seonho stop telling him everything?

He stares at the ceiling of his small, un-homey room until his head hurts.)

 

Hwang Minhyun, Guanlin learns, just graduated from university and is now staying with his parents for a bit, working the odd job until he finds something permanent in his actual field of profession, which is something with a name so complicated Guanlin can’t even pronounce it right.

Hwang Minhyun, Guanlin also learns, is absolutely charming, polite, intelligent and on top of that the textbook definition of handsome, which, honestly? Is just unfair.

“He _what?_ “, Guanlin sputters, staring at Daehwi like he’s just grown another head.

“Seonho’s old neighbor“, Daehwi repeats slowly as if Guanlin didn’t hear him the first time, “Hwang Minhyun? He works here now, he’s stepping in as the new theater coach. Can you believe Ms. Park is having another baby so soon? I mean, I’m happy for her but that must be stressful.“

Guanlin frowns. “But, how? I thought he studied something else at college.“

Daehwi shrugs, as if he isn’t a huge gossip and the best informed person Guanlin knows. “Apparently he went to MNH too, so Boa knows him from back then.“ He flops down onto his back, grass covering the soccer field tickling his face, “I just hope he’s better than Dongho-hyung.“

Guanlin rolls his eyes at him and carefully joins him, squinting against the sun shining into his eyes. “You were just scared of him because of his face. He was the nicest, he even let you call him hyung even though you gave him the stink eye for no reason all the time.“

Daehwi huffs but makes no comeback, closing his eyes to let the sun shine onto his face and look like there is not a single thing in the world to worry about. He succeeds too, and Guanlin smiles a little. His friend can be ridiculous sometimes.

They lay on the grass for a while, reveling in the first few sun hours of the year (Guanlin _loves_ second year and that one free period he gets every Friday morning before lunch especially) until Daehwi breaks the peaceful silence again.

“Seonho seems really happy. He’s like a puppy around him.“

Guanlin opens his eyes, smile gone from his face, and stares long and hard at the endless blue sky above them as if it’s personally offended him.

 

(“He’s even cooler than I remember him from the last time I saw him“, Seonho gushes over lunch. “He’s really so mature now. And he gives really good hugs.“

Guanlin’s phone vibrates. _Told you so_ , Daehwi’s text message reads. Guanlin shoves his phone back in his pocket and pointedly ignores Daehwi’s smug grin.)

 

The talk about the new theater coach spreads. Guanlin spends most of the breaks in between classes involuntarily listening to Hwang Minhyun becoming the hottest topic of the school, torn between the uncomfortable twinge in his gut every time someone mentions his name and he sees Seonho’s face again, alight with admiration, and being genuinely curious about what others have to say about Minhyun. Because if Seonho likes him so much, there must be something more to him than just his looks and his stranger-friendly charm. Right?

Guanlin thinks of the last time he’s been to Seonho’s house, Minhyun dropping by to help Seonho’s mom with the groceries, and sighs.

Next to him, Seonho looks up from the Tupperware with cut-up strawberries perched on his lap and frowns at a group of girls clustering at the back of the classroom, whispering indiscernible words and the occasional _Hwang Minhyun_ to each other, eyes shining and mouths smiling behind secretive hands.

“They all just like him because he’s handsome“, Seonho says as if he’s read Guanlin’s thoughts, looking almost disappointed.

“He is handsome though“, Somi allows from her seat behind Guanlin, mindlessly filling her notebook with messy doodles. Guanlin thinks he spots a rocket launching into a sky speckled with wrapper candy as stars out of the corner of his eye.

“He is!“, Seonho takes Somi’s reluctant opening, and Guanlin turns back to where he’s leaning against Guanlin’s desk, anxiously analyzing the expression on his face, and yeah. There it is again, that- _that star-struck look_. Guanlin purses his lips.

“But he’s not just handsome“, Seonho continues, “he really cares about everyone. He always makes sure everyone is okay, and if they’re not, he does everything to he can to help. Oh, and he’s really good as theater coach!“

Somi perks up from behind Guanlin, shutting her notebook. “Oh yeah, how’s that going? I heard from Daehwi that he changed up the whole thing.“

Seonho shakes his head. “Nah“, he says around a mouth full of fruit, “he just made some alterations to the dialogues, and he let everyone who isn’t playing the leads suggest ways how we could stand out more without completely destroying the story line. It’s really cool, I get to play the piano for a bit in my scene now.“

That _is_ pretty cool, Guanlin has to admit. Seonho’s role for the production this year isn’t quite on the same level of marginal as Nameless Revolutionist I, but it’s still one of the smaller roles, and Guanlin had intently searched for any traces of disappointment on his best friend’s face after looking at the cast list pinned up next to the student council and sports clubs announcements. (And sure, there had been a few, and Guanlin had squeezed Seonho’s hand in quiet support.) That Minhyun made an effort to grant everyone in the club a tiny bit of spotlight clashes almost overwhelmingly with the clenched tangle of emotions he feels every time Seonho gives out another one of his special Guanlin-smiles to Minhyun as if it’s nothing.

“That’s so nice“, Somi says, her voice tinged with respect this time. She reaches around Guanlin to stick her fingers in Seonho’s lunch box, offering some of her loot to Guanlin.

“I’m allergic“, is all Guanlin manages before the bell rings.

 

Over the following two weeks, Guanlin comes to a resolution.

He sits with his friends at their usual lunch table (to which Seonho still shows up to, thank god) and on days where he knows the theater club holds its meetings, he hangs out with Somi and Daehwi at the mall and kicks a few balls on the dusty yard behind Samuel’s house, because he’s sure: he can deal with all the talk because Minhyun is genuinely nice. He will listen to Seonho talk about him with a straight face, even nodding at all the right places and no one will ever have to know about the ugly, petty _thing_ pressing against his ribcage and slowly squeezing the air out of his lungs every time Minhyun’s name is as much as mentioned in a conversation. He’s ready to forcibly keep it all in and mask his face with careful indifference, because Seonho is happy and Guanlin isn’t planning on ruining that with stupid feelings he doesn’t understand himself. He’s ready to be a good best friend and _share_.

But the universe has it out for him, or something, because as if on cue Seonho bails on their after school hangouts twice in a row, and it cuts at Guanlin in a way he wasn’t prepared for, leaving him afraid his hurt is too obvious, his chest sliced open for everyone to see.

“What’s with the face?“, Eunbin asks when she finds him brooding in front of the school gates fiddling with his phone, no reason to stay anymore but too stubborn to just go home. _Staying late with Minhyun hyung!! Don’t wait for me_ , reads the opened message on his phone screen, and he quickly jabs the screen lock with his thumb before Eunbin can see it.

As if to punctuate her words, she pokes his face, smoothing out the wrinkles between his eyebrows. “And where’s your other half?“

“With Minhyun“, Guanlin mutters darkly. Just like Dongho last year, Minhyun lets everyone call him by his first name and that’s how he’s known on school grounds now, Minhyun this, Minhyun that. The monster in Guanlin’s chest roars.

“Ah“, Eunbin says vaguely, something like understanding flickering in her eyes. For all her gum chewing and ice queen aura, she’s more perceptive than she gets credit for. It reminds him of Elkie, the way she’d somehow always known what had dampened Guanlin’s mood at one glance, and how she’d try her best to cheer him up again. Not that she’d needed to do that very often, with Seonho around.

“Let’s get ice cream“, Eunbin says when Guanlin doesn’t say more, linking arms with him and effectively pulling his hands from his pockets. “My treat.“

And because Eunbin never really takes no for an answer, a good ten minutes later, Guanlin is melting vanilla soft serve against his front teeth in the Baskin Robbins down the road and reasoning against himself: he spends so much time with Seonho, what’s three consecutive days of barely seeing him around?

He must have looked pathetic, because Eunbin drags him to the topping dispenser without a word and drizzles extra chocolate fudge on his ice cream cone.

 

Practice is fun.

Practice has always been fun, because Guanlin was a more than passable shooter in middle school, and that was before he had the growth spurt that now makes him tower a little over most of the school’s population. Not that he’s an exception on the basketball team, but he’s always managed to keep up, hence the fun. But this year, he’s in the starting line-up, and while that means a lot more responsibility weighing on his shoulders and a quite horrible meal plan Seongwoo cooked up in his spare time, it also means that he’s really, unapologetically taken seriously now and _that_ \- their point guard assessing him as an option to pass to and playing the ball to their team captain who dribbles it to Guanlin who sinks it in the basket with a satisfying flap of the net - is where the real fun starts.

He’s still high on the feeling that comes with exceeding at something you love when he jogs to the storage rooms to get the ball cart while his teammates slowly leave the gym one by one to get changed. Looking up from his clipboard, Seongwoo finishes scribbling notes about each player like he always does at the end of practice and joins him.

“Hey“, he says, picking up a ball from the floor in a far corner of the gym and expertly throwing it in the cart. Seongwoo used to play for the team when he went to MNH a few years back, Guanlin knows because him and Seonho had gone through some old basketball magazines when Guanlin had first joined the club and found the school’s team there, Seongwoo grinning at the camera with practiced ease and the bold number 4 on the front of his jersey. Guanlin doesn’t know what exactly he did after graduating, but there are rumors going around of modeling jobs he’s done, and how he was a trainee at an idol company for a while. How he ended up being the junior coach for his old high school’s basketball team is a mystery to most, but Guanlin is glad that Seongwoo ended up here. Between the official coach’s glaring absence during most practice meetings and their team captain Jung Wooseok’s cloudy seriousness, Seongwoo’s hard work and loud presence provide a nice balance to the club.

“Hey“, Guanlin says back, aiming a loose three-pointer at the cart and promptly hitting the edge. Guanlin winces as the ball spins idly before tipping to the side and falling into the cart. Seongwoo raises an eyebrow at him. “Don’t mess up your form, kid“, he says.

“Sorry“, Guanlin mumbles and goes back to normal throws. Seongwoo grips the edges of the cart and wheels it over to where Guanlin is standing. “This is really nice of you“, he says nonchalantly, “but you don’t have to help me clean up, you know. Don’t you usually leave earlier than this?“

Guanlin comes up from the floor with his arms full, dumping four balls in the cart at once. Seongwoo is right, usually he does leave earlier than this. But usually, Seonho also doesn’t stay late at the theater club meetings running at the same time as Guanlin’s basketball practice, thus making it entirely pointless to hurry out of the gym to make it to the school gates on time so Seonho doesn’t have to wait for too long.

And because Seongwoo is annoyingly smart when it comes to stuff like this, he sees right through him. “Don’t you usually go to meet Seonho after practice?“

Guanlin squirms. “We don’t really… hang out at the moment“, he says, not meeting Seongwoo’s eyes. There’s a pause, and Guanlin hopes his face isn’t red. He doesn’t want Seongwoo to think he’s about to cry or something, because _he is not_.

“Did you guys have a fight?“

“No“, Guanlin mumbles, ignoring how Seongwoo’s voice has gone soft, like he’s being careful of Guanlin’s feelings. Which is stupid, because nothing happened in the first place and Guanlin isn’t even upset anyway.

“Huh“, Seongwoo says, but he doesn’t push it. They continue wheeling the cart around the gym until everything has been cleaned up, Seongwoo tactfully not commenting on how Guanlin gathers the cones they’d used for dribbling practice earlier with a little too much force.

But because Ong Seongwoo can never not throw in his two cents (or because he’s a good friend, Guanlin is still torn over that one), he sends Guanlin off with a last bit of advice he didn’t ask for.

“Why don’t you do something together this weekend? Just spend some time together and talk it out, you know, like adults. Communication is the key in any relationship.“

Guanlin pointedly picks up his water bottle from the sidelines and stalks towards the exit. “ _Bye_ , hyung.“

 

They don’t talk it out.

Despite everything, Guanlin knows Seongwoo’s suggestion is reasonable, not least because he’s pretty sure Seonho has no idea how Guanlin feels. Which, you know, is kind of the point. It’s mainly because Guanlin doesn’t even know what exactly it is that sits so wrong with him at the prospect of his best friend hanging out with his well, old best friend. The one he shares a much longer history with than with Guanlin.

So they don’t talk it out, but they do spend time together, courtesy of one Park Jihoon. It’s Friday, and Guanlin is sitting in his last class for the day when he feels his phone vibrate. Shooting a quick glance at the teacher to make sure she isn’t looking in Guanlin’s direction, he pulls out his phone under his desk and squints at the notification of an old, long-buried group chat.

Guanlin swipes right and reads:

 **Park Jeojang:** hey kids

 **Park Jeojang:** wow it’s been a while huh

 **P.Wooj:** i cant believe u still have that ugly ass screen name

 **Park Jeojang:** so I was thinking

 **Park Jeojang:** stfu woojin

 **Park Jeojang:** that’s not what I was thinking

 **KingJustin:** get to the point hyung

 **Park Jeojang:** FINE pizza party at my house tomorrow bc college sucks and I miss your tiny faces

 **Park Jeojang:** that does not include you woojin I see you every day and i’m sick of it

 **P.Wooj:** the disrespect

 **Park Jeojang:** justin you can bring your weird sprouts gang

 **KingJustin:** oh heck yea

 **Davidlee:** yesss

 **SUNho:** food!!! I’ll be there!!

 **Park Jeojang:** seonho do you not miss me at all

 **SUNho:** ofc I do hyung

 **Park Jeojang:** :’)

 **Park Jeojang:** guanlin?

 **linnie:** sure, ill come

Guanlin puts his phone away and lets go of that last shred of concentration he had left before reading the texts, content to zone out for the rest of class. Two seats to his left, Seonho leans forward and catches Guanlin’s eye, wiggling his eyebrows and making some complicated hand gesture. Guanlin grins and gestures back to him, trying to be as subtle as possible. He’s just remembered that Hwang Minhyun has absolutely no reason to be at Jihoon’s apartment tomorrow, and call it immature, but that somehow _really_ lifts his mood.

They arrive at Jihoon’s street a good hour late, mostly because Guanlin has never even been to this part of town and Seonho is really, really bad at reading maps. Thankfully, they know their weapons, so Guanlin isn’t surprised when Seonho hooks his chin over Guanlin’s shoulder and whispers _be cute_ in Guanlin’s ear before he presses a finger to the door bell. Guanlin pulls his mouth into the best pout he can muster and judging from the sigh that rings through the speaker before Jihoon buzzes them up, this old trick still works.

“Just so you know“, Jihoon says when he opens the door for them, pointing an opened Ribena bottle at Seonho’s innocently smiling face, “you’re only forgiven for being late because I haven’t seen you in so long. Don’t think the aegyo works on me.“

“Sure, hyung“, Seonho says smugly and walks right past him, calling out something about pizza on his way to the living room. Guanlin smiles at Jihoon’s exasperated face. “The bus routes were confusing“, he says earnestly.

“Yeah, yeah“, Jihoon waves him off. “You want pizza or what? If Seonho hasn’t eaten everything we left for you already, that is.“

He takes off without waiting for an answer and Guanlin trails after him, waving at everyone assembled in the living room and plopping down next to Woojin and Ahn Hyeongseob on the couch. Woojin grins at him and gives his hair a playful tug while Hyeongseob gives him a distracted smile, his eyes glued to the TV screen where some Disney movie is playing. From where he’s sprawled out on the floor, Daehwi reaches up to the low table in front of the couch and hands Guanlin a piece of pizza in lieu of a greeting. Jihoon abandons his Ribena on the table, grabbing a beer can from an opened Sixpack on the table and sitting heavily in one of the two armchairs he takes great pride in (Guanlin knows because he and everyone else in his Snapchat contacts have been subjected to receiving countless pictures and videos of his newest prized possessions because they just make him feel _so grown up_.)

Seonho stalks over from the kitchen, an _ooh, Disney_ on his lips and a slice of pizza in each hand, and squeezes in next to Guanlin. His mouth is right next to his ear, munching noises louder than the movie, their arms and thighs pressed together. Guanlin hugs a pillow to his chest and takes a bite of his pizza, feeling utterly content.

(Seonho makes it halfway through Star Wars before nodding off against Guanlin’s shoulder, and it’s when the credits are rolling and the room has gone quiet that Guanlin feels it too, eyes and limbs heavy and face pleasantly warm from the can of Hite he and Seonho shared earlier. Woojin joined Daehwi on the floor at some point during the second movie and Hyeongseob had abandoned the couch after a bathroom break to join Justin and Euiwoong’s cuddle pile in the other arm chair, so there’s enough space on the couch now for Guanlin to pull Seonho with him into a lying position, arms sneaking around his waist.

It’s here, in this soft, faintly buzzing post-movie night environment, that for what feels like the first time in weeks, he can truly relax. Seonho is warm and solid next to him, and Guanlin reaches up to carefully slide the glasses off his nose, reaching around him to gently place the thin frames on the floor.

 _Talk it out_ , Seongwoo’s voice rings in his memory, and he would, really. But Seonho’s sleeping face is calm and flawless up close, and Guanlin feels silly for ever doubting him. Somehow, nothing could feel less real than his fear of losing Seonho when he’s right there, breath hitting his chin because their faces are so close.

Another time, he thinks, eyes slipping shut. Another time, they’ll talk.)

-

On Monday, Guanlin doesn’t even have time to check his phone for any dreaded texts from Seonho about theater practice before he spots Seonho and Minhyun leaving the school building together, Minhyun’s good-natured laugh ringing across the yard.

It’s a nice laugh, and Guanlin’s stomach knots itself all the way back to square one.

“What was that about?“, Samuel asks from where he’s just stepped out of the building, awkwardly glancing at Guanlin’s face. He looks distinctly worried, and Guanlin thinks it’s completely justified, Seonho’s innocent _hey Guanlin, Minhyun and I are getting ice cream, wanna come?_ providing absolutely no reason for Guanlin to feel like someone just casually pushed him off a cliff.

Samuel looks at Seonho and Minhyun’s retreating backs and clears his throat. “So, did you invite him to your game yet?“

And really, Guanlin knew there had to be a catch somewhere.

 

The game, or _the_ game, as Seongwoo likes to put it, is the team’s first league game in five years, and also Guanlin’s first ever game as a starter.

“As if I needed any more reasons to be nervous“, Guanlin complains to Daehwi in between classes, the both of them having rushed to the hallways so Guanlin could get the homework he forgot in his locker before the bell rings. Daehwi bounces on his feet.

“Can you hurry up?“, he hisses, something close to panic threatening to get a hold of him. Guanlin understands, really- Ms. Park is _scary_ , how anyone could ever like her more than Dongho is beyond him, but Daehwi is stubborn in the most devoted sense. Not that he’d ever tell him that, of course.

“Got it“, he says, and they sprint back down the hallway, slipping into the class room two seconds before the bell rings.

A little later, Daehwi slips him a note. Guanlin reads it and closes his eyes briefly, taking a measured breath. _What’s up with you and Seonho anyways?_ , Daehwi’s meticulous handwriting spells out on the torn strip of paper, and Guanlin silently curses Daehwi’s sharp observation skills.

 _Nothing_ , he scribbles back and keeps his head straight ahead for the rest of the class.

 

(It’s not nothing. It’s very, very obviously not nothing, and it becomes evident during lunch of all times.

Lunch break has sort of been neutral ground, Seonho showing up to their table with unchanged frequency, so unbothered by Guanlin’s silence that Guanlin eventually gave up on being grumpy for those twenty-seven minutes every day, forging a momentary truce in a war no one except himself was really aware of. It might have helped that Minhyun eats in the teacher’s lounge.

And then- one second he’s okay, everything is fine, the next he’s speed-walking out of the cafeteria, leaving Seonho with the remnants of his lunch and too many dishes for one person to carry at once.

 _What’s going on with you and Seonho anyways?_ , the squeaky noise of his sneakers against the floor mocks. The bell rings and Guanlin enters his classroom, alone.)

 

Somi finds him loitering in the boy’s bathroom the next day.

“You’re not supposed to be in here“, he blurts, although that really is the last thing he cares about right now. She wrinkles her nose at him.

“You’re not supposed to hide in here“, she retorts calmly. Guanlin winces. There’s a stubborn _who said I was hiding_ somewhere at the back of his tongue, but he knows he isn’t fooling anyone. He didn’t stay long enough for Seonho to react properly, to call Guanlin out for breaking their long-practiced bestfriendship code, but the hurt expression on his face is engraved behind his eyelids still. To avoid Somi’s steady gaze, he eyes the scribbles on the bathroom stalls, oh look at that, that's a surprisingly detailed sketch of Mr. Lee mounting a horse-

“He didn’t smile once today“, Somi says with no room for mercy. “Fix it, Lin.“

Guanlin sighs.

 

Pause. Rewind.

 _Are you coming to my game or do you need to go hang out with Minhyun again?_ isn’t quite the transition Guanlin was planning on, but to be fair, he hadn’t really planned anything at all, mind blank and frozen in panic at the thought of Seonho maybe possibly hating him. Now this, Seonho turning on the piano stool he’s sitting on to face him with hurt clear as day in his eyes, might be the worst moment of Guanlin’s entire life thus far.

The auditorium is quiet. A few seconds ago, its spacious expanse was filled with the sounds of Seonho pressing single keys on the piano nestled in a corner of the stage, notes hanging in the air like frustrated question marks. Guanlin bites his lip. He hadn’t meant to say it, not like this, not with the harsh, accusatory tone piercing his words.

The silence stretches on, rises and expands until it feels almost tangible in the auditorium, too big for the two of them, now that it’s empty.

“He’s been giving me some piano lessons“, Seonho says finally, voice awfully quiet. “That’s why I’ve been staying late so often.“

Guanlin feels the strong urge to kick something, because of course Minhyun was just being nice. “No one ever asked him to-“

“Yes“, Seonho interrupts, “I did. He used to teach me some when we were younger, that’s how I even became interested in it in the first place. I was struggling with the piece but I wanted to do well in my scene, you know, because I only have that one where I talk. I was- I was gonna ask you if you wanted to hear it, the other day.“

Something hot spills in Guanlin’s chest, hot and terrible and self-righteous, and he wants to sob at how horrible it feels. Everything, the petty jealousy, the sharp hurt from feeling replaced, all the confusing feelings tangled to a big mess in his chest, threatens to fall out of his mouth, and it’s all so obvious he’s almost sure Seonho is going to point it out. Instead, Seonho’s voice goes even quieter.

“Why do you keep avoiding me?“

Guanlin snaps. “Why do I- why are _you_ avoiding _me?_ I’ve barely seen you for weeks because you’re always with Minhyun already. I thought, I thought I was your best friend.“

His voice cracks a little and Seonho’s eyes go wide and Guanlin belatedly realizes that his eyes are burning and god, he’s really out here crying in the middle of an argument with his best friend. Or ex-best friend, after this. He digs his palms into his eyes.

“I’m going home“, he says, barely resisting the urge to stomp his foot, and flees the scene.

 

Call him a hypocrite, but Guanlin spends the days following the fight (because that’s what it was, right?) doing exactly what he’d accused Seonho of doing: avoiding him. Daehwi notices, of course, because Daehwi always notices everything. Guanlin stops replying to his notes in class altogether because one, they’re not grade schoolers, who even slips notes anymore, and two, they’re all about Seonho. Daehwi, being the little shit he is, foregoes the note-writing and just bombards Guanlin with the pieces of paper crumpled up to little balls he flicks off his desk with annoying precision.

Lunch starts and continues to be horribly awkward (Justin stops by their table once and leaves immediately after, because _dead bodies have more party cells than you guys, what the hell_ ), so Guanlin starts dodging that too. It’s stupid, really, but Guanlin has never been good at confrontation, or communication apparently (thanks Seongwoo), so. So.

He spends his next three lunch breaks in the bathroom and tries not to feel pathetic.

 

The day of the game comes faster than Guanlin is ready for. The hours before tip-off, he is a jumbled mess of nerves, on edge enough to almost sock Justin in the head out of reflex when he whoops at him in the hallways. Wooseok claps a hand on his back as the rest of the team is filing out into the gym one by once and looks at him with one eyebrow raised, which Guanlin translates to _I’ll give you time but be out on the court for warm-up in five minutes._ Guanlin nods and Wooseok nods back at him, leaving him sitting on a bench in the locker room, shoes untied and trying not to throw up.

It’s just like in practice, he reasons with his head between his knees. And he won’t be without support. He knows most of his friends are coming to the game except for Eunbin, who’s had a girl’s night out planned for months but promised him to ambush Elkie and FaceTime him once the game was over, and well, Seonho. Who hadn’t actually said anything if he was coming or not. Who has been on Guanlin’s mind constantly, guilt eating away at him. Seonho, who is- standing in front of him?

“Hi“, Seonho says awkwardly, face flushed from embarrassment. He looks out of place here, glasses sliding down his nose and sweater cuffs hanging over his wrists, soft. He, Guanlin realizes all at once, is too cute for a sports locker room, bright like a star, and kind of Guanlin’s favorite thing in the world. He straightens up so fast his head goes dizzy.

“I’m sorry“, Guanlin blurts before Seonho can open his mouth again, the nervous energy thrumming in his veins making the words come out too fast, “I’m really, really sorry for what I said to you. You didn’t deserve it, and I should have told you how I felt and not expect you to just notice when I never said anything. I’m- I just-“ He hiccups. There’s pressure behind his eyes and Seonho isn’t saying anything, and _he has game to play in less than five minutes._

“I forgive you“, Seonho says after a few seconds, blinking owlishly behind his glasses. He shuffles his feet, hands buried in his pockets, face contorted to some weird grimace, eyes settling everywhere in the room except on Guanlin. He takes a deep breath.

“I’m sorry too“, he tells Guanlin’s shins, more quietly, breathes out. Smacks a kiss against Guanlin’s right cheek, as if it’s nothing.

“For good luck“, he squeaks. Then he turns on his heel and rushes out of the room.

 

(Guanlin is one hundred, one _thousand_ percent sure his face stays red until at least the end of the first quarter.)

-

They win. They win with Guanlin making the last shot, and it’s the best feeling in the world, better than caramel peanut ice cream on the hottest day of summer and the (only) time he got a hundred percent in class combined. It’s exhilarating, and Guanlin forgets everything he was ever worried about and looks up.

In the end, it’s almost ridiculous, how little it takes.

In the stands, there’s Seonho. Next to him, there’s Minhyun, but Seonho isn’t looking at him at all. No, he’s looking down at Guanlin still standing on the court like an idiot, a huge poster in his hands. YOU ARE MY STAR, it reads in huge, obnoxiously glittery letters, two printed pictures of an especially ugly and an especially nice selfie Guanlin must have sent to him at some point stuck next to them. When Seonho sees that Guanlin is looking at him, he waves and swings the poster so hard the row below him gets showered in glitter, the smile on his face huge and radiant. The tangle in Guanlin’s chest shakes, trembles, and sighs.

Off the court, there’s Seongwoo, falling to his knees and theatrically clutching his chest. Sort of used to his antics by now, Guanlin follows his line of sight and sees Minhyun, blowing a stream of playful kisses down to the coaches’ bench. He’s laughing, still looking at Seongwoo, and something in Guanlin’s head finally, finally clicks.

“Hey, sorry, I have to go“, he tells Wooseok as the other just extends his arm to drag Guanlin off the court. He’s breathless when he reaches Seonho’s row in the stands, which is stupid, because he’s been fine the entire game.

“Congratulations!!“, Seonho all but yells, dropping the poster on a bemused Minhyun’s lap and engulfing Guanlin in a tight hug. “I knew you could do it! And that last shot! You looked so cool!“

“Yeah“, Guanlin says dumbly, grinning at Seonho’s enthusiasm, heartbeat humming in his chest. Seonho pulls back but keeps his arms around him, almost jumping with excitement.

“I’m happy you came“, Guanlin tells him sincerely. There’s a lot more he wants to say, how he’s happy that Seonho forgave him, that he still likes him, how he loves the poster even though it’s hideous, because Seonho made it for him. All of it gets stuck in his throat when Seonho smiles again. “Of course! You’re my best friend.“

Relief washes over Guanlin in waves. “And you’re mine“, he breathes, feeling the knotty mess that’s been prospering in his chest for the past weeks fluttering and slowly untangling itself.

“Oh, what the fuck“, Daehwi says behind them, effectively disrupting the moment. “ _That’s_ what all this was about? You two are so dramatic, you never get to make fun of me again.“

Guanlin drops his arms and turns around to face Daehwi, Samuel, Somi, and a smug-looking Jihoon resting his elbow on top of Daehwi’s head. “Ignore him“, he says, extending his other arm in a sweeping gesture. “Woojin sends his regards, he caught some virus and is currently puking his guts out at home. Anyone else want pizza? I need to send him pictures and laugh at him over Snapchat.“

 

(Guanlin gets at least three handfuls of cake smeared in his face at the team’s spontaneous victory celebration at Papa John’s afterwards, some of it landing on Seonho’s face by association, because _tradition_.

“As the star of the game, that’s just fair“, Seongwoo quips when Guanlin complains.

“What about me, then?“, Seonho asks, pointing at the cream spread across his nose and cheeks.

“You’re a star too“, Minhyun says fondly, and Guanlin laughs along with everyone else at Seonho going cross-eyed trying to reach the cream on his nose with his tongue.)

**Author's Note:**

> kidsbyMGMT.mp3
> 
> (huge thanks to the creator and mods of this fest!! be sure to check out the other fics in the collection as well)
> 
> post authors reveal edit:  
> tysm for your lovely comments everyone!! they rlly made my day i might have shed a tear or two  
> also!! hmu on [twitter](https://twitter.com/omgiwentgold) if u want to


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